


Amor Vincit Omnia

by SpaceMirror



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV), Sense8 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Sense8 (TV) Fusion, Bobby | Trevor Wilson Defense Squad, Bobby | Trevor Wilson Redemption, F/F, F/M, Gen, I took some liberties with how clusters work, M/M, Sensate Cluster(s), Sense8 AU, The Molina Family is a good family, death mention, drug mention, let julie molina say fuck, no beta we die like three ghost himbos, probably, rated for language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:46:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 13,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27212152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceMirror/pseuds/SpaceMirror
Summary: You put a found family aspect where people are inexplicably tied together and expected me not to turn it into a Sense8 au. You got another thing coming.Will didn't know what to expect when he birthed a cluster. These four teenagers certainly were not on that list.Julie Molina, Luke Patterson, Reggie Sinclair, and Alex Wilson must be losing their minds. That must be why they keep seeing a random man around them. And each other, when they aren't actually together.
Relationships: Alex & Bobby | Trevor Wilson, Alex & Carrie Wilson, Alex & Carrie Wilson & Bobby | Trevor Wilson, Alex & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie, Alex & Luke Patterson & Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Amanita Caplan/Nomi Marks, Carlos Molina & Julie Molina & Julie Molina's Mother & Ray Molina, Emily Patterson & Luke Patterson & Mitch Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Flynn & Julie Molina, Riley Blue/Will Gorski, Will Gorski & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie & Alex, Will Gorski & The Cluster
Comments: 114
Kudos: 128





	1. Prologue

**November 16, 2020**

_ Amsterdam, Netherlands _

_ 7:14 PM _

Will surprises all of them, deciding to birth a cluster first. He and Riley talked it over, and it just felt right. Riley couldn’t handle motherhood so soon, not after what she’d already been through. The rest were still navigating the experience of being sensate without the threat of BPO and with Will’s former job, he’d had to be ready for anything. BPO is no longer a threat, and he’d always wanted to be a father. Lito's career is picking up in Hollywood, and Nomi and Amanita have already agreed, no children yet. Capheus has yet to fully explain what he is to his family, and his political career hasn't died down quite yet. Kala, Wolfgang, and Rajan haven't discussed  _ biological  _ children, let alone sensate yet, so that leaves Will and Riley. After experiencing what they had in Iceland, Will doesn't want to put Riley through that again quite so soon. 

It takes him a while to fully realize what he has to do, and his cluster surrounds him when he’s ready, even though it’s nearly two a.m for Kala and Wolfgang, even later for Sun. Sweaty and in pain, he promises Riley he will never complain about getting hit in the balls again. Riley smiles and kisses him, wiping sweat from his brow. The pain is like nothing he’s felt before, even feeling Kala get shot was nothing compared to this. He felt like his body was getting ripped in half and he understood why Angelica had clung to Jonas as she gave birth to them. 

His children are younger than he expected, 20 at most. He describes them to his family, jolts of pain rip through him again. He hopes that they’ll be okay, that he’ll be a good parent to them. He knows his cluster will protect them as they do their own. He just hopes that they won’t need to. 

* * *

_ 7:38 PM _

Will’s back hits the mattress, sweat dampening his jacket to his skin. Riley runs a damp rag over his forehead, and he looks at her, grateful.

“Well, how are they?” 

“Younger, than I thought. Late teens, maybe?” He says, breathless. “They’re close to each other, too. Los Angeles, I think.” 

“You’ll have to be careful. Don’t want to spook them.” Riley mutters. 

“Well, they’ll wake up with the migraines. It’s late over there, they’re all asleep.” He says, slowly loosening his grip on his wife. 

Riley turns her head, and Will knows she’s visiting. 

“Nomi, can you book two tickets to California for us?” She runs her hand over Will’s head. “I think we’re gonna come visit.”


	2. Chapter 1

**November 17, 2020**

_ Los Angeles, California _

_ 10:15 AM  _

Julie Molina hates her calculus class. Math was never her strong suit, but Calculus was on a new level with so many theorems and numbers and letters, it’s difficult to keep everything straight in her head. So she daydreams. Her seat is next to a window, so it’s easy. 

Flynn is a live-in tutor at this point. As long as her grade stays up, her teacher lets her do as she wants. 

But a man staring directly at her from the track is new. The man is wearing a blue tracksuit, so it takes her a moment to realize he’s not just there to use the track as people do. He’s staring at the building, at  _ her. _ She blinks, and he’s gone. 

She glances around, but Mrs. Adams is facing the chalkboard, writing some equation that is already over Julie’s head. She shakes her head, and Flynn catches her eye. She raises an eyebrow, a silent question. Julie waves her hand to say “later”. Flynn doesn’t look convinced but faces the front nonetheless. Julie looks outside again, not sure what she’ll see. 

There’s no one on the track. 

**November 17, 2020**

_ Los Angeles, California _

_ 10:15 AM _

Luke Patterson scribbles a line in his notebook. His headache is only getting worse, and he wants to thank his mom for letting him stay home. He sets his guitar next to his bed before walking over to his window. The sun is setting, maybe cool, fresh, air would help. If nothing else, he could just bury himself in the covers before his mother makes him go to school again. The window slides open as normal, but there’s movement outside. A man is outside, staring at the house. It doesn’t surprise Luke, there’s always a house in his neighborhood for sale. The guy is probably just looking for one of those. He leans out the window. 

“Hey, It’s not this one! Try the next street over!” He gestures before reentering. The man doesn’t move. Luke just rolls his eyes. He tried, if the guy doesn’t want to listen, that’s on him. If he approaches the house, his parents can deal with him, and if it comes to it, so can the cops. 

Just as he climbs into bed again, he hears his door open. 

“Honey?” Luke sits up, a tired smile on his face. His mom looks over him, a worried look on her face. “Were you talking to someone?” 

“Just some guy in the yard. Probably got confused. I think 8912 is moving so...”

“There’s no one in the yard.” His mother steps closer and puts a hand on his forehead, but he waves her away. “I was out in the garden and heard you. Are you feeling alright?” 

“I’m fine, Mom.” he sits up, glancing at the window. “I know what I saw, though. He was just staring at the house. ” His mother slowly pushes him back down, tucking him into bed. 

“Get some rest, Luke. Maybe your headache is just getting worse.” She brushes a strand of hair out of his face. He nods and watches her leave, turning the light off before closing the door behind her. Luke sighs and closes his eyes, but he can’t turn his brain off. He knows he saw a man staring at the house. He sits up with a start. He hadn’t just been staring at the house; he was staring directly at Luke. 

**November 17, 2020**

_ Los Angeles, California _

_ 2:45 PM _

Reggie Sinclair slipped his headphones off his head when his bedroom door opened. His little brother, Richard, stepped inside and shut the door behind him. The sound of shattering glass cuts off anything Richie was about to say, and the younger boy just clammers to his older brother’s side. 

Reggie barely stays upright as his brother launches into him. 

“Hey, kid. Mom and Dad bothering you again?” Richie mutters something into Reggie’s side, so he pries the younger boy away a few inches. “Try again?” 

“I can’t focus on my homework.” Reggie sighs and reaches for his backpack. He hates that his parents fight so much that his brother can’t even focus on his homework. He pulls out a pair of earbuds and hands them to his little brother, ruffling his hair before pulling his hand back. 

“Thanks, Reggie!” Richie says, giving him another hug. Reggie smiles and leans down to press a kiss on the younger boy’s head. 

“Alright, kid. Go do your homework,” he gently pushes Richie towards the door and tries to hide a flinch as their parents’ voices get even louder. As Richie leaves, he passes the mirror on Reggie’s closet door. Reggie’s eye is drawn to the mirror, specifically to the man sitting behind him on the bed. He nearly launches himself off the bed, whirling around to face the intruder, but there’s no one behind him. 

“Reg?” 

“Richie, I said ‘go do your homework’,” Reggie says, not turning around. 

“But…”

“Go.” Richie does, after a moment’s hesitation. 

**November 17, 2020**

_ Los Angeles, California _

_ 4:15 PM _

Alex Wilson loves his cousin. He really does, which is why he isn’t strangling her at the moment. His migraine gets worse and worse, and  _ Dirty Candy _ ’s practice isn’t helping, especially when all he can hear is the choreographer yelling at the girls and their latest track. He loves his cousin, so he’ll wait until after her practice before attempting to kill her. Sitting in the living room was not the most ideal room in the house, but it was the furthest from the dance studio Carrie’s dad had built however many years ago. 

Alex lets out a groan as the track starts over  _ again _ , and flops onto the couch, pulling a pillow over his head. Luckily the sun is setting, so the house won’t be so bright, and then maybe Alex will be able to tolerate his cousin’s entirely too long practice. 

He feels the couch shift by his head, so he just waves in the direction. When there’s no response from what he assumed was his Uncle Trevor, he risks glancing up. The man sitting in front of him, cross-legged and sweating as if he just ran a marathon, is very much not his Uncle Trevor. Alex shoots up, trying to put distance away from himself and the man with a shout. The man stares at him, not moving, just watching. Alex glances around for something to defend himself, but when he looks back, the man is gone. 

He can hear footsteps on the stairs, and Kayla, one of his cousin’s friends peeks over the railing. 

“Hey, you okay?” Alex looks between her and the now empty spot on the couch. 

“Yeah...yeah, I’m fine.” 


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will tries to explain some stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I really wasn't expecting many people to read this. It was super self-indulgent. I really appreciate all of your comments and kudos and I read them all, even if I don't reply.

**November 16, 2020**

_ Julie Molina _

_ 4:27 PM _

“Hey, is your head still hurting?” Flynn texts. She would have stayed over, but her dad wanted a family dinner that Monday night. As soon as Julie got home, she buried herself in her covers and kept the light off. She doesn’t know if she falls asleep, but when she finally removes the covers, the blinds are drawn and her backpack is in her chair rather than the floor. 

She quickly sends a text to Flynn letting her know she’s alive before making her way downstairs. Her dad is in the living room, and she can smell Tia’s  _ pasteles  _ in the oven to heat up. 

“Hey, dad.” She says, leaning down to kiss his cheek. 

“Morning,  _ Mija. _ ” He chuckles and turns to look up at her. 

“What are you watching?” 

“Just channel surfing. But, Food Network has this thing about making the perfect French Dip, so…” He shrugged. Julie watches over his shoulder for a few minutes, but she doesn’t really have much interest in a sandwich.

“Well, I just wanted to know what's going on. I think I fell asleep.” She runs her hand through her hair as some chef cuts the sandwich in half. 

“Yeah, Carlos went in there earlier and you were knocked out. Are you feeling better?” 

“Not really, but I’ll live.” She smiles at him. “Do we still have Advil?” 

“Should be in the bathroom. Dinner should be ready in about 20 minutes, but if you want to eat upstairs you can.” 

“Thanks, Dad.” She gives him one more kiss on the cheek and heads back upstairs, stopping in the bathroom to get some medicine. 

When she opens the door, she just wants to grab her laptop and pretend her brain isn’t trying to rip her head open. Of course, because nothing ever goes right for her, there’s a man on her bed, cross-legged and clean-shaven, and a good twenty years older than her. Julie screams and drops the pill bottle on the wood floor, and she can hear Carlos’ door down the hall. 

The man on her bed raises a finger to his lips. 

"Julie, is everything ok?" Her brother appears behind her, holding his math textbook as a weapon. His eyes dart over the room, looking for what might have scared his sister. 

"I...I thought I saw a spider…" She says, looking at her bed. The man nods and she steps closer as if to pick up a dust bunny. "I really need to dust in here, huh…" Carlos lowers the textbook. 

"Really, Julie?"

"You know I hate spiders, Carlos." 

"Who screams bloody murder about a dust bunny?" 

"Who brings a math textbook to defend their sister?" 

"Who needs defending from a dust bunny?" 

"Hey, who needs to stop screaming at their sibling?" Their father says, coming up the top of the stairs. 

"Sorry, Dad!" The Molina siblings say. Carlos turns to go back to his room, but Julie stops him before he leaves. 

"Thanks for coming to my rescue, even if it was with a math textbook." 

"Well, I gotta be the man of the house right?" 

"Haha, funny guy." Ray tousled his son's hair, gently pushing him back towards his room. Once Carlos is back in his own room, Ray leans down and picks up the forgotten pill bottle and hands it to his daughter. 

“You sure you alright,  _ Mija _ ?” 

“Yeah, I just-” Julie shakes her head. “-really hate spiders.” 

“I’ll bring you dinner here tonight. Try and get some homework done. Any tests tomorrow?” She shakes her head again. “Then in the morning, we’ll see if we can’t get you a sick day, alright?” 

Julie smiles and wraps her arms around her dad. 

“Did I ever tell you that you’re the best dad ever?” 

“You could say it more, but I’ll take what I can get.” He presses a kiss to the top of her head. “Get some rest,  _ Mija. _ ” She watches him leave and closes the door before whirling around to face her bed. The man is still there and it takes everything in Julie to not throw the pill bottle at him. 

“I’m giving you thirty seconds to explain who the hell you are, what the fuck you’re doing in my room, and why my brother and dad couldn’t see you.” She hisses, hoping that her family can’t hear. “And get off my bed!” The man slowly gets up, raising his hands. 

“My name is Will. I’m sorry that I just appeared here, I forgot about the time difference.” His head turns to the side as if he’s not talking to Julie anymore. “Yeah, of course, she’s nervous. I told him this wasn’t a good idea.” 

“Twelve seconds!” She says, bringing his attention back. “You still have two more questions to answer.” 

"Right. Uh, so I'm sensate." He flinches and rubs his shoulder. "Ok, um, we should have prepared this better. Ok, um, you're 17? You know about evolution. Homo Sapiens versus neanderthals versus fish versus monkeys and all that?" Julie nods, unsure of why a science lesson is needed to explain why a grown man is in her bedroom. 

"Well, there are other species, some that died out and some that didn't. You and I, and others are part of a species that didn't. Homo Sensorium." 

"Ok, why are you in my room and why couldn't my family see you?" 

"Right, so technically, I'm not here. I'm here." The man, Will, gestures behind her, and before Julie can really think, she turns around.

Instead of seeing her bedroom door, she sees a yard. The moon is out and full, and well maintained green grass stretches until it reaches a black road, where a woman with stark white hair is loading suitcases into a silver taxi. 

"What the fuck?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Have a good day/noon/night! I love you!


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will explains and Julie thinks she's losing her mind.

**Chapter 3:**

**November 17, 2020**

_Amsterdam, Netherlands_

_1:27 AM_

Will watches Riley put the last of their suitcases into the taxi, while Julie looks around in shock. 

"Where...But I was just..?" 

"You've got a migraine; had it since you woke up this morning? It'll last for a few more days, but once it's gone it'll be the best feeling in the world." He says. 

"You'll want something a bit stronger than Advil, but it'll do in a pinch." Julie takes a step away from him, which is deserved. 

"Where the hell are we? And why is it so cold?" 

"Amsterdam." He had a fondness for the city, and he just couldn't stay in Chicago after his cluster had helped cripple BPO, and the last time they were here, he couldn't really enjoy the city the way he’d wanted.

"Amsterdam...Like in The Netherlands?" 

"Yeah, exactly." 

"How the hell did you get me to The Netherlands?" 

"As I said, we're Homo Sensorium, or sensate. We have a link that connects us." He taps his forehead, sure that moving closer to Julie would just freak her out more. "It's all really scientific, and I am not the person to explain all of that." 

Julie just stares at him, so he continues. 

"Because I'm here, you can experience this place through me." Julie leans down and touches the grass. She reminds Will of himself, that day he visited Jonas in prison. 

"The grass is wet. And if I'm still in my bedroom, shouldn't I feel the floor?" 

"No. I'm feeling that the ground is wet, so you are as well." Riley turns to face Will and waves, the last of the luggage fit into the trunk. 

"That's my cue. I know you have questions, ." Will changes the pull of the connection, visiting Julie in her bedroom again. “So we’ll have to talk here.” 

“How did you do that?” 

“I’m visiting you, that’s what it’s called. When you felt the ground in Amsterdam, you were visiting me. It’s like facetime without a phone.” 

“Okay, and how exactly does this connection work?”

“There are three ways that a connection is formed between sensates. First, through a birth, which is what happened between you and me. Second, a-” Julie cuts him off.

“Hold on, what’s _birth_? You don’t mean like when a mom and dad love each other very much?”

“No, no. Well, kinda?” Will flounders in trying to explain. “It’s like that kind of birth, but any sensate of any gender can do it. So, in a way, I’m your father. But it’s different than your father.” He gestures in the general direction of Julie’s dad, somewhere in her house. 

“I don’t think I like that.” 

“It takes some getting used to, I’ll admit. But the second way to form a connection is through your cluster. When I birthed you,”

“Can we call it something else? Please? It’s so weird.” 

“We’ll think of something if you stop interrupting.” Julie tries very hard not to pout. “When I awakened your sensate abilities, I also ‘awakened’ three other sensates. You’re connected to them in a different way than you are to me. When the headache dies down in a few days, you’ll be able to visit them the way I’m visiting you now. The third way is to connect with another sensate through eye contact.” 

“This is too weird. How do I know I’m not just losing my mind?” Will smiles, remembering how he and Riley had proved it. 

“My wife and I are on our way to the airport to visit one of our cluster in Los Angeles. Your entire cluster is also there. I’ll visit you all in a few days after we get settled and we can meet in person. Deal?” He holds his hand out, and Julie glares at it before taking it. 

“I swear to god, if I have to talk to Dr. Turner again, I’m going to find you in real life and strangle you.” 

* * *

_Amsterdam, Netherlands_

_12:31 AM_

**November 17, 2020**

Will climbs into the taxi next to his wife, who leans onto him once he wraps his arm around her. While they ride to the airport, he feels her fall asleep on his chest. He would follow her, but his brain is caught on Julie Molina. She reminds him of himself, curious and calm. She’s taking the sensate thing well, even if Will isn’t doing the best job explaining. Nomi and Kala were better at explaining the science behind their connection, and the only example he had of someone explaining this was Jonas. The last thing he wants is to be Jonas, but he was the only person who could explain at the time, and he had done a fairly good job of it. Sure, he did betray them, but there was a point where Will had considered him a mentor. He just hopes he could do the same for this cluster. The first step is probably to stop leaving in the middle of conversations, but he’ll work on that later. They have a plane to catch. 


	5. Chapter 4

**November 17, 2020**

_ Los Angeles, California _

_ 4:45 PM _

Reggie has successfully convinced himself that he is, to put it plainly, losing his mind. Strange men don’t just appear in teenage boys’ bedrooms, then disappear without a trace. He’s tempted to go to his parents, but the shouting hasn’t subsided in the past two hours. His head is already threatening to break apart, and his parents aren’t helping. He’s tempted to go to the library, take Richie with him, and maybe they’ll get something done before it closes at 6, but passing by their parents isn’t a risk he’s willing to take. So he sits on his bed, and puts on headphones, and tries not to let their words affect him. 

His music doesn’t help when the man appears on his bed, inches away from his feet. Instinctively, he shouts and kicks out, hitting the man square in the chest. The man lets out a groan, and Reggie clutches his own chest, the ache settling deep in his bones. 

“Ah,” the man says, glancing at Reggie. “Good aim.” 

“Who the hell are you?” 

“My name’s Will. Nice to meet you, Reggie.” He holds his hand out. Reggie doesn’t shake it, he’s too busy pretending he isn’t holding his history textbook as a barrier between him and this strange man.

The man, Will, lets his hand fall after a moment. 

“Fair enough.” His attention turns to the door, and Reggie can hear his mother stomp past on her way to her own bedroom. 

“Do you wanna take this conversation somewhere a little quieter?” 

“I don’t really wanna do anything with you, dude.” 

“Okay, fair enough. Guess I’ll start at the beginning.” 

“Start with either explaining how the hell you got in my room, or by leaving.”

“Okay, I’ll do the first one. You and I are a part of a species of humans called,  _ Homo Sensorium _ , as opposed to  _ Homo Sapien _ . You know about evolution.” Will doesn’t wait for Reggie’s nod before continuing. “There’s a psychic connection that links you and me, and once your headache dies down in a few days, there will be a connection between you and three other people.” Will looks to Reggie, trying to sense any confusion about what he’s saying. 

“What the fuck?” 

**November 17, 2020**

_ Amsterdam, Netherlands _

_ 12:47 AM _

Once Will explains, Reggie takes this whole Sensate thing way better than Will thought he would. The boy was just relieved that he wasn’t losing his mind. He’d believed Will once his explanation was out in the open. He didn’t even have to bring Reggie to visit him, but he did feel the urge to bring him out of his house. The airport was quieter than Reggie’s house, he felt he could hear the boy’s father yelling at the television even in Europe. They speak for a bit, Will trying his best to answer Reggie’s seemingly unending questions. He tells Reggie the same thing he’d told Julie; they’re visiting one of their cluster in L.A, and they want to meet in person. He readily agrees, and Will lets the connection dissolve. 

  
  


**November 17, 2020**

_ Amsterdam, Netherlands _

_ 2:37 AM _

Will shoulders his duffle, watching the times change on the monitors. The flight information Riley got from Nomi is plastered on one in large letters, the word DELAYED next to the time. He sighs and Riley squeezes his hand. 

"Thank you, by the way, for stepping in with Reggie." She gives him a smile. 

"Of course. I know you're just nervous. These are your kids." 

"Our kids." He corrects her, leaning down to press a kiss on her lips. "How are you doing, by the way?"

"I'm...I'm ok. It's better." He squeezes her hand. "How many left?" 

"Two. You know, they're taking this a lot better than we did. Or at least I did." Riley lets Will guide her to a seat near their terminal. If they have to wait, might as well be nearby. 

"How are they taking it?" 

"Well, Julie thought she was going crazy, which I don't blame her for. When Jonas approached me in that corner store, I thought I was losing it too. I just hope that I'm doing a good enough job explaining that they don't freak out too much." Riley leans her head on Will's shoulder. 

“Reggie’s interesting though. He took this way better than I did, or even Julie.” 

"I think you're doing a good job from my end.”

He chuckles, before thinking about his kids again, and he feels himself pulled to California again. 


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**_November 16, 2020_ **

_Los Angeles, California_

_5:38 PM_

Alex finally makes his way into his room. Carrie has finally let Dirty Candy stop rehearsing for the night, and their wing of the house is quiet enough for Alex to not want to die. He thinks for a few minutes of letting his frustrations out on his drum set but decides against it for his own sanity, instead of jumping onto his bed.

"Hey, Alex." He cranes his neck to look at his cousin slowly opening the door. "Kayla told me you were having some freakout downstairs? Is it your head?" 

"Yeah, no, I'm fine, Care. The music was just a little loud." 

"You could have asked us to turn it down," Carrie says, walking up to sit on the end of her cousin's bed. 

"It was easier to just stay downstairs. It's fine, I was even able to do a little homework." He smiles uneasily. Carrie doesn’t look convinced, but thankfully she lets it go. 

“Well, feel better Lex.” He gives her a grateful smile as she leaves, but stops short of closing the door. “By the way, Dad said he’s not gonna be back for a few days. Something about meeting an old friend in New York.” 

“Thanks for the heads up.” 

Alex falls back onto his bed as Carrie closes the door. His head feels like it’s splitting, but apart from actually splitting his head open, he doesn’t know what to do to fix it. 

“Painkillers not working?” Alex nearly jumps off his bed when someone speaks from the end of his bed. 

“What the fuck?!” 

“Okay, I’m trying so hard not to scare you guys, but every one of you has cursed at me,” the man at the end of his bed says. Alex just stares at him, trying not to let his heart pound out of his chest. 

“Okay, hi. You’re Alex, right?”

“How do you know my name?” 

“This is going to sound crazy, but I need you to believe me.” 

“How did you get in my room?” 

“Alex,-”

“How did you get in my house? You were on the couch earlier, weren’t you? What do you want?” 

“Hey. Breathe, kid. I’m not gonna hurt you.” The man waits a moment, and Alex feels himself start to calm down. “My name is Will. You and I have a psychic link that makes us able to see and hear each other. I’m assuming you’ve heard of evolution and _Homo Sapiens_ and all that?” Alex nods. “We’re a part of a separate species called _Homo Sensorium._ We’re connected by a psychic link; that’s the headache you’re getting.” 

**November 17, 2020**

_Amsterdam, Netherlands_

_2:39 AM_

Riley knows that Will is visiting one of his kids. It’s weird to think of them that way, as his kids. It’s appropriate, considering their age, but that they’re _Will’s_ kids. He likes to say their hers too, but she can’t reach them the way he can. Not yet at least. They’re still not completely sure of how the connection between a parent and child works, but watching an almost childlike look of wonder cross Will’s face when he brings one of his kids to visit in the airport is worth it. 

She takes his hand and leans on his shoulder, before closing her eyes. Since the first time Will told her he’s thinking about birthing a cluster, she’s thought about her daughter. Knowing that Will would birth them first took away some of her anxiety, but every so often she’s back in the mountains, Magnus in front of her. She can’t help the feeling of loneliness, of helplessness that crashes over her like waves. Even now, miles away from the mountains, leaning on the shoulder of the man she loves, she feels the chill of the snow and wind deep in her bones. She shivers closer into Will’s touch. 

After everything that had happened with BPO, Will and Riley had chosen to return to Amsterdam. They wanted to make memories in the city that weren’t marked by Will’s heroin usage or them hiding in abandoned buildings. They rented a house on the outskirts, Riley worked at a records store and dj’ed at night, while Will had decided to stay at home. He kept tabs on BPO, making sure that the organization kept it’s promise to stay clean. It’s not that he didn’t trust River, but she can’t be everywhere in the company. 

**_November 16, 2020_ **

_Los Angeles, California_

_5:40 PM_

Alex decides that he hates this. There are too many thoughts swimming around in his mind, and now he’s going to have to deal with other people’s? Yeah, that’s a solid no. 

“Is there like an opt-out thing?” He asks Will. He keeps his voice low, he doesn’t need Carrie to know that he’s talking to himself. Will shakes his head. 

“I know people who would have taken that if they could. People in my cluster even, and probably some in yours.” 

“Have you met them?”

“Some. You’re a small cluster, only four. You’re the third I’ve visited.” 

“How many are in yours?” 

“Eight, including me.” 

“You’ve got seven other people’s thoughts from around the world just...floating in your head? And your...parent?” Will chuckles and nods. “That sounds like a nightmare.” 

“It’s not so bad. We share knowledge and experience. They’ve saved my life more times than I can count, and I’ve helped save theirs.” Will says, a soft smile on his face. Alex can almost feel heat on his face from a memory that isn’t his. 

“Did...did one of those times involve a flamethrower or something?” He tugs on the front of his hoodie, trying to get some school air onto his face. 

“Rocket Launcher, but same thing.” Alex chuckles nervously, but there’s nothing in Will’s demeanor to suggest a joke. 

“Do...Do I want to know?” 

“I think it’s still technically under investigation, so no…” 

“Holy shit. You’re criminals.” 

“We’ve been pardoned.” He turns his head suddenly, which startles Alex. “I gotta go. I’ll reach out once we land.” 

“Wait, land?” 

“Right, I don’t think I said it. We’re flying to L.A. See you soon, kid.” And Alex is left alone. 

“Okay, I’m losing my mind.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, thank you so much for reading! I'm loving all of your comments and I hope to reply to them soon! Have a good day/noon/night! I love you!


	7. Chapter 6

**November 17, 2020**

_ Luke Patterson _

_ 6:04 PM _

Luke Patterson loves his parents, he really does. But college discussions just aren't on the front of his mind. This stupid migraine is, and behind that is his music. The songs he’d been writing over the years. Somewhere in the back of his brain, near his grades, is his college plans. 

"Honey, does your head still hurt?" His mother asks, watching him pick through the chicken she'd cooked. He’s grateful that the question stops the interrogation about his future.

"Yeah, I'm sorry Mom, it smells so good, but I just can't eat." His mother places her hand on his. 

“It’s alright honey, I’ll save this for you to eat later.” Luke stands and kisses his mother on the cheek. 

“Feel better soon, kiddo.” His dad says, looking at his son over his glasses. “Just don’t think that this discussion is over.” 

“And it won’t be until I get accepted somewhere.” Luke manages to smile at his parents before heading back upstairs to his room. 

When he opens the door, he wants to just fall onto his bed and let the covers swallow him until his brain stops pounding against his skull. But of course, he only sunk into the mattress a few inches. 

“It’ll be better in a few days.” He nearly launches himself off of his bed at the sound of a voice at the foot of his bed. 

“Oh, god. I’m sorry. I keep forgetting that you guys aren’t used to this yet,” the man says, holding his hands up. 

“Y-you were staring at the house, earlier.” Luke says, hesitantly. “How did you get inside?” 

“You’re thinking of calling your parents, or the cops. It won’t work, I’m not really here.” Luke shakes his head, taking a step backwards towards the door. 

“Luke, don’t.” He spins around, throwing open his bedroom door and running through. 

“Mom! Dad!” He’s not in his house. It looks like an airport, large windows overlooking large gray pavement. “What the fuck?” 

Luke spins around, trying to comprehend what he’s seeing. He was just in his bedroom, and now he’s standing in an airport. The signs around him aren’t in English, nor the Spanish he’s used to seeing around L.A. 

“What the hell did you do to me? Where am I?” He asks, finally focusing his vision on the man from his bedroom. 

“You’re in your bedroom, back in L.A. I’m in Amsterdam.” 

“Amsterdam. Okay, cool. You’re in Amsterdam, and I’m losing my mind.” 

“No, you’re not, Luke.” 

“Why the hell do you know my name?” 

“Will, I can feel your frustration from here.” A woman with stark blonde hair and sunglasses sits up from leaning on the man. 

“I’m fine Riles, it’s not me.” 

“Another one? So soon?” 

“I didn’t want to freak them out.” 

“Too late.” Luke and the woman say in tandem. The man, Will, looks between the two of them, a soft smile on his face. Luke feels his frustration and confusion wane, the feeling replaced by something softer in his chest. 

“Listen to me, Luke. My name is Will, and we have a sort of psychic connection. I’m not too good with the science bit. She’s better at that than I am” Will gestures to the woman on his arm, and they smile at each other. Luke resists the urge to gag looking at the two of them. 

“But we’re what’s called  _ Homo Sensorium _ , or sensate.” 

“Okay, and that is?” 

“You’ve heard of Evolution, the small paths ancient ancestors took that meant the difference between Human and Monkey, right?” Luke nodded hesitantly. Science was never his strong suit, but he could follow along. “Well, there are many different paths, even ones that lead to the difference between  _ Homo Sapien  _ and  _ Homo Sensorium. _ ” 

“Are you telling me that we’re not human?” 

“I’m saying that we’re another form of human.” Will glances around, and the woman at his side shakes her head. 

“So, what does that mean, another form of human? Why can you see me and she can’t?” He pulls Will’s attention back.

“We have a connection, one that's different from the connection you'd have with any other sensate. I'm your father, in a way. Not literally," Will amends seeing the look on the boy's face. The woman next to him chuckles, apparently entertained enough by his floundering. She turns to Luke, impressing the boy since he knew she couldn't see him. 

"Luke, right? Will is the father of your cluster, the group of sensates that you'll have a connection with for the rest of your life. The headache will fade in a few days, and you'll be able to visit with them, the same way you are with Will right now." 

"Is she a sensate?" 

"Yeah, but because she's never seen you, the connection isn't formed." 

"I think I'm gonna pass out." He's back in the middle of his room before the sentence is halfway out of his mouth. 

"If you're gonna pass out, I didn't want it to be on the floor of an airport," Will says. Luke slowly sits on the bed, blinking. 

"How do I know what you're saying is real, that I'm not just losing my mind?" 

“We’re coming to L.A for a bit. The rest of your cluster is there, and we’re hoping to meet in person.” 

**Amsterdam, Netherlands**

_ 2:08AM _

Will slightly moves his shoulder, keeping his wife awake.

"They're gonna board soon. Figured you'd wanna be awake," he mutters, gesturing to the stewardess stand near the entrance. Riley sleepily smiles at him and pushes herself to sit up. The woman standing behind the podium says something in Dutch, then English and the sensates stand. 

Next Stop: Los Angeles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there's the introductions! We've met our sensates but they haven't met each other! I'm really glad y'all are enjoying this so far! Starting next chapter, hopefully chapters will be a bit longer and there will be more interaction within the cluster! Have a good day/noon/night! I love you!


	8. Chapter 7

_ November 19, 2020 _

_ Los Angeles, California _

_ 9:37 AM _

“Okay, what is going on with you? Your head has been in the clouds since your migraine ended.” Flynn says, leaning against Julie’s locker. 

“No, no, I’m fine,” Julie says, trying to smile at her friend. Ever since Will had appeared in her bedroom, Julie’s head has been spinning. Her migraine had ended yesterday before school, but she couldn’t stop feeling like everything was just happening so much. Just earlier that morning, she’d walked down the hallway into her science classroom, and found herself staring at an English classroom instead. 

“Julie…” Flynn says, teasing. 

“Flynn…” Julie responds in the same manner. 

“I know that it’s coming up on a year...Do you think that could have something to do with you being so off?” Julie looks down at her sneakers, doodled on by markers. 

“Maybe...it just still doesn’t feel like she’s gone,” Julie says, grateful there’s  _ something  _ she can talk to Flynn about. Having people in her head seems like it could be a one-way trip to a mental facility. Will hasn’t visited her since he apparently landed in L.A, but she also didn’t meet anyone else weird in her head. 

“Maybe you should talk to your dad?” Flynn suggests, and Julie can’t help the panicked look on her face.

“No way. I love him, but he isn’t the best at grief talks. He’d just send me back to Dr. Turner three days a week.” 

“You didn’t hate talking to him before.”  _ I didn’t have other people in my head before _ , Julie thinks. 

“I just spent my first Thursday afternoon at home instead of a stuffy office downtown,” she says. “I don’t really want to go back just yet.” 

“Fine, we’ll change the subject. Have you thought about what you’re going to do in class today?” 

“I’ll figure it out when I get up there.” 

“Really? That’s all you’re giving me? Mrs. Harrison said this is your last chance.” 

“I know that, and I’ve got it handled.” Julie closes her locker. “I’m not nervous, so why are you?” 

* * *

_ November 19, 2020 _

_ Los Angeles, California _

_ 9:40 AM _

Luke has never been this nervous. He doesn’t have any reason to be, he’s just in science class. There’s no test or quiz, and Mr. Kelly is probably hungover because they’re just watching a movie. They don’t even have to take notes. Thanksgiving is coming up, which is probably why, but still, the pit in his stomach is not shrinking. He turns to the back of the classroom, managing to catch the eye of his teacher, who nods at his whispered plea to use the restroom. Something in him was just begging him to leave, and he had to get out of there. 

As he walks through the hallway, trying to calm himself down, he glances at his phone to see how long he could get away with staying out of class. Instead of his lock screen, a picture of him playing his guitar at an open mic night a few months ago by his mom, he sees sheet music, and the pit in his stomach nearly doubles. When he glances up, instead of seeing the hallway of the science wing, he’s staring at faces he doesn’t recognize. 

The teacher, he assumes, gives him a reassuring smile, and he looks down at his fingers, resting on piano keys. He doesn't play the piano! He stands, pushing the stool back. 

"I-I can't...I'm sorry." The teacher's face falls, and he's back in the science hallway. He presses himself against the hall, taking deep breaths. Is this what Will meant when he had explained visiting? He felt the same way just now as he did staring at the planes in Amsterdam. But he didn’t even see the girl he had visited, so where had she gone? 

He glances at his phone again, barely two minutes have gone by. He glances down the hallway again, glad to see no one is around to see him...do whatever he was doing. He runs a hand through his hair, hoping that whoever was actually in front of that piano wouldn’t hate him for what he said. He didn’t lie, and he realized that whoever  _ was _ in front of that piano really didn’t want to be. The feeling in his stomach calms down, so he makes his way back into the classroom, not wanting to risk getting Mr. K angry. It’s one of the few days he doesn’t have detention, and he doesn’t want to waste it. 

* * *

_ November 19, 2020 _

_ Los Angeles, California _

_ 9:43 AM _

Julie raced down the stairs, praying that the tears would fall onto her cheeks before she made it outside. She can hear Flynn calling after her, but she doesn’t stop until she reaches the middle of the stairwell. 

“Julie!” Julie sighs and turns around to face her best friend. “Girl, you better get back up here and you show them!” She points towards the classroom they’d just run from. “Show them that you can sing!” 

“I’ve tried for myself. I’ve tried for Ms. Harrison, I’ve tried for you.” As much as she wants to, she can’t hide the crack in her voice. “I’ve tried for dad, and I’ve tried for mom!” Flynn looks like she wants to cry, but Julie can’t stop now. “For a whole year, I’ve been trying. But I can’t do this anymore.” Her voice drops to a whisper. “I can’t. I’m done.” She turns back down the stairs, ignoring Flynn calling after her.

The sun is blocked by clouds when Julie makes it to the courtyard, and she’s thankful since she left her hat in Mrs. Harrison’s class. The bell will ring soon, and then she’ll have to go to second period, and she’ll have to face Flynn again and she can’t do that right now. That moment in front of the piano, staring down at her sheet music and dread in her stomach, then suddenly she was behind the stool, watching someone else try to play for her. She couldn’t see his face, but she watched him stand and look at Mrs. Harrison, telling her exactly what she wanted to say. She couldn’t do it, she’d tried for so long but her fingers wouldn’t press on the keys. Her voice was stuck in her throat, and the notes on her sheet music danced on the page as she tried to read them. 

Flynn didn’t chase her outside, and she’s grateful. Julie sits on one of the tables, dropping her head onto her arms, trying to get herself together before the bell rings. 

It rings all too soon, as far as she’s concerned, so she stays. Mr. Adams is lenient, and Julie is one of his favorite students. He won’t mind her missing a few minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok I lied, the next one will have a formal introduction. Have a good day/noon/night! I love you!


	9. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some introductions are made!

_November 19, 2020_

_Los Angeles, California_

_12:17 PM_

Alex makes his way to the courtyard, leaving Carrie to chatter with the rest of Dirty Candy about their performance at the spirit rally in the cafeteria. The cafeteria is too loud, and he’d rather eat in the courtyard and study for his Biology midterm since the weather is pretty nice. 

When he pushes open the door, he’s disappointed, but not surprised, that the courtyard isn’t empty. He does manage to find an empty table, near an open window to an empty classroom in the corner. While he eats, he opens his Bio textbook. He should study for his midterm next week, he’s not totally confident in some of the concepts, but he thinks about the strange man in his bedroom a few days ago, and he finds himself flipping to the chapter on Evolution. It’s near the back of the book, the final unit before the glossary. It seems even the book’s authors knew that teachers waited until the end of the year to cover it. Too many people would complain; Alex’s parents just one of many. A scowl settles on his face as he thinks about his parents, the same hypocrisy that would have led to their protest of him learning evolution is the main reason he’s now living with Carrie and her dad. 

Alex shakes his head to clear his thoughts, trying to refocus on the text in front of him. 

_‘Evolution (evo‧lu‧tion, ˈɛvəluːʃ(ə)n) is defined as a change in the genetic composition of a population over successive generations. When we hear “evolution”, we often think of a progressive change. However, evolutionary changes are not directed toward perfection or even toward some defined goal. Evolutionary changes involve interaction between available genetic variants and the environment in which they exist. For evolution to proceed, there are vital key players: genetic variation, natural selection, and genetic drift.’_

And he’s already bored. 

“Seriously?” He nearly slams his textbook shut at the sound of a guy from over his shoulder. 

“Jesus, dude.” 

“Sorry. Uh, I’m Luke,” The guy, Luke, says, sitting next to Alex. 

“Alex. Um, this is gonna sound weird, but, are you here or-?” Alex gestures to his head. Luke glances around, before answering. 

“Considering that I don’t recognize this place, I’m gonna go with-” Alex cuts him off. 

“You’re in my head, cool.” 

“It is kinda cool.” Luke lightly slaps Alex’s shoulder with a goofy grin. 

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to this,” Alex mumbles, rubbing his shoulder. It’s weird, knowing that someone in his head can physically affect him. “So, uh, did Will talk to you too?” 

“Yeah, scared the shit outta me. I thought I was going crazy.” 

“I’m still not sure I’m not. You could just be a hallucination.” Luke laughs, and Alex has to smile. The other boy’s joy is infectious. He glances around before raising his textbook so no one can tell he’s just talking to himself. “How are you so chill about this? I’m kinda freaking out.” 

“Well, Will said he’d reach out when they got settled in L.A.” Luke shrugs, leaning back against the window. “And after this morning, I figured I should reach out in my brain and see what’s going on? And it seems that I wasn’t the only one curious.” He reaches out and taps the page in front of Alex. 

“Why are you looking at evolution?” 

“Will said the difference between homo sapien and homo...sensorium?...is rooted in evolution. I just thought it might be worth looking into.” 

“Hmm,” Luke says simply. 

“What happened this morning?” Alex changes the subject.

“I don’t really know. I think I visited someone, but I don’t know who. I just...almost broke down watching a movie in class, then I was in a music room, failing to play the piano. The weird thing is I never saw her face. Not like I’m seeing yours now.” 

“Wait, did you see other people in the room? Like the teacher or other kids?” 

“Yeah, the teacher was black, short twists I think. There were different kids, I remember a hot blonde chick in pink in the front row, but I got out of there pretty quick.” 

“Holy shit, I know exactly who that was.” 

“Wait, how?” 

“That was here. That ‘blonde chick’ was my cousin.” 

“Oh, I didn’t mean it like-”

“Dude, don’t make this any weirder.” 

“Sorry. But who was it?” 

“Her name’s Julie Molina. I don’t know her that well, but she and my cousin, Carrie, were super close when they were kids. According to Carrie, Julie had a freak-out and stormed out of class. Julie’s in my second period, and she was late by like 10 minutes. Lucky for her, Mr. Adams is super chill.” 

“Oh, man I feel really bad. I didn’t know she had to leave class.” Alex feels a wave of guilt wash over him, and he knows it must be coming from Luke. 

“Hey, from what Carrie’s told me, Julie hasn’t played in like a year. Whatever happened today is not on you,” 

“Still, that’s awful. She was in a music room, so obviously, music means something to her. This is high school, everybody takes the easy classes unless you care. And the way the teacher looked when I told her I couldn’t do it, she almost looked...sad.” 

“Well, maybe you should talk to her?” 

“The music teacher?” 

“What? No!” Alex says, a little too loudly. He catches a few people glancing over at him weirdly, but he just ducks down further behind his textbook. 

“I meant, to Julie.”

“Oh. Right…” 

“Luke, I can literally feel your hesitation.” Alex deadpans, and Luke runs a hand through his hair. 

“It’s just that she seemed really bad earlier. If she’s not okay with...this,” he gestures to himself and Alex, “I don’t wanna stress her out more.” 

“Well, she’s gonna get stressed eventually when she meets all of us. Will mentioned there are 4 of us, what if we all go together. Let her know that we’re here for her.” 

“Dude, you’re a genius! We just gotta figure out who the last one is. Lemme see if I can-.” Alex stops him before he can start visiting someone else. 

“Hey, don’t you have class or something?” 

“Oh, shit!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I hope you enjoyed it! Reggie is in the next chapter I promise! I just really wanted to give him his own chapter because he deserves it. Have a good day/noon/night! I love you! 
> 
> P.S, that bit about evolution is stripped from here: https://www.biologyonline.com/dictionary/evolution


	10. Chapter 9

_November 19, 2020_

_Los Angeles, California_

_1:17 PM_

“So, can you tell us the significance of the green light, Reggie?” Mrs. Dena asks, a smile on her red painted lips. 

“It’s a metaphor, right?” Reggie says, hesitantly. Mrs. D nods and gestures for him to continue. “It symbolizes what he can’t have. The ‘old money’ across the bay, while he’s stuck in the ‘new money’.” She nods at his analysis, then turns her head across the classroom. 

“What else could the green light symbolize? Jamie?” The blonde girl across the classroom starts saying something about the American Dream, but Reggie tunes her out. It feels like his class has had the same discussion for every book they’ve read so far, but at least _The Great Gatsby_ is somewhat interesting. He sees himself a bit in Jay, pretending to be someone he’s not. 

The bell rings, and he quickly stuffs his book in his backpack, throwing a wave at Mrs. D as she yells something about finishing the book before Monday. 

Luckily, today is Thursday, which means he does not have a final period, so he’s free to leave. He makes his way to the gym doors, which is where the bike rack is. He doesn’t know why this is where the school decided to put it, but it’s not his problem. He unlocks the bike and slides his helmet on, humming a song he doesn’t know under his breath. 

“Hey,” He turns around, expecting to see someone probably holding something he dropped on his way out here. 

“Hi?” 

“Um, I’m Alex. I’m sorry, this is my first time and I-” 

“Oh! Wait..are you here or-?” 

“No, no I’m at my school,” Alex stuffs his hands in his pockets. 

“You’re like Will, then?” 

“Yeah, I’m a part of your cluster. It’s me, another guy named Luke and a girl named Julie.” 

“I’m Reggie. Um, I’m probably gonna look weird if I just stand here and talk to myself.” He nods his head towards the street. “I can walk my bike home and we can talk on the way?” He doesn’t wait for a response, before he starts to walk. 

“Wait, home? It’s like 1:30?” 

“Yeah, I assume you don’t go here? Will mentioned we’re all from L.A, but he didn’t get more specific.” 

“No, I go to Los Feliz.” 

“Well, Burbank is on block scheduling, and I don’t have a 7th period.” Alex nods slowly in understanding. 

“So, uh, what brings you to this part of town?” 

“Oh, right! Um, Luke, the guy I told you about earlier visited me during lunch. And he mentioned that he hadn’t met the fourth yet, and it kinda felt rude, so now I’m here.” Reggie chuckles, glancing both ways before crossing the street. Alex meets him there, but Reggie didn’t even see the guy move. It’s like he’d just appeared there. 

“Okay, that was weird.” Alex says, voicing Reggie’s own thoughts. 

“Did you..?"

"No, no I did not." 

"Cool! So, you just follow me wherever I go?"

"I guess?" Reggie smiles. Ever since Will had visited him and showed him that he wasn't losing his mind, he'd kind of hoped that the others in his cluster would be people close to him. And so far, Alex seems cool, if not a bit put off.

"So, what's going on at Los Feliz? Do you have class or something?"

"Nah, I've got a study hall. Just waiting on my cousin so we can head home." 

"Dope." Reggie says, stopping to press a button to let them cross. 

"Um, but I wanted to reach out because Luke said that Julie, our fourth, is going through a rough time. We wanted to surprise her tonight. Introduce ourselves, you know?" 

"Yeah, sounds great! Like, in person, or-?" 

"No, no. That just feels...kinda wrong. Three dudes showing up at her door, you know?" 

"And, in her head is better?"

"Yeah, it is." Alex defends himself. 

"Well, I'm in.” Reggie shoots a smile at Alex, who reciprocates. 

“Cool. Um, Luke will probably visit you soon, too. He was antsy when I saw him earlier, I think the only reason he didn’t was because he had class.” 

“Can I ask you something?” Reggie asks, and feels a pang in his stomach. “I just wanted to know how you’re handling this. I can kinda feel your anxiety from here.” The twist softens in his stomach, and he realizes it must have come from Alex. 

“I’ll be honest, because I don’t think I can lie since we’re in each other’s head. I don’t handle change all that well. And finding out that I’m a part of a secret subset of humans and connected to three other people is kind of a big change.” Reggie nods. 

“I’ll be honest, personally, I’m great with change. But this is a lot, but you know, you’ve got the three of us to help you out, whenever.” 

“Appreciate that, man.” Reggie manages to pull a smile onto the other’s face as they come up at Reggie’s house. 

“Well, this is me.” His mom’s car isn’t in the driveway, and Richie doesn’t get home for hours. “You can stay, if you want. I’ve got homework, and my parents aren’t home.” 

“Thanks. I’ll meet you inside. I’m gonna let Luke know he can visit if he wants, since we’ll all be where we can talk openly.” 

“Sounds good.” Alex leaves Reggie alone while he puts his bike in the garage and heads into the kitchen. He tosses his backpack onto the couch, humming under his breath, before he makes his way into the kitchen. He can hear his mom in his head, ‘always offer a guest something to eat and drink’, which is why he pulls out three glasses to fill with water. As he fills up the third, it hits him that Alex and Luke are in his head. Are they gonna drink the water? Can they? Oh well, they’re already filled. 

It doesn’t take five minutes before Alex and Luke appear in his living room. It’s another two minutes before Reggie feels as close to them as he did to Richie. There’s something infectious about Luke’s attitude, that even has Alex put his walls down. They spend the next hour laughing and chatting about nothing, and if Reggie remembers drinking three glasses of water later that night, then that’s his business.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this isn't my favorite chapter, but oh well. Have a good day/noon/night! I love you!


	11. Chapter 10

_November 19, 2020_

_Los Angeles, California_

_4:38 PM_

Julie pulls open the doors to her mom's studio, fighting the urge to burst into tears then and there. Between getting kicked out of the music program at her school and her dad asking her to clear out the studio, her emotions were kind of running high. After her mom’s death a year ago, Julie hadn’t entered the studio to do anything but water the plants behind the covered piano. Even then, sometimes she had to bribe Carlos to do it. And with them moving soon, of course it was time to tackle the studio. 

Julie runs her fingers over the keys of the piano after pulling the white sheet off, waving the dust away from her face. Okay, maybe not touching anything in a year wasn’t the best idea, in retrospect. _The piano is still in good shape_ , she thinks distantly, opening the cover over the keys. Her fingers rest gently on the black and white keys, and she almost feels her mom’s fingers over hers, teaching a song she no longer remembers.

Julie pulls her hands back as if she’s been shocked. She closes the cover once again, moving away from the piano. “I’ll..I’ll start upstairs,” she says out loud to no one. She makes her up the ladder, finding old band memorabilia from her mom’s time in bands. There’s an old cd for ‘Rose and the Petal Pushers’. On the cover of the cd is Rose, Julie’s mom, in her twenties. One Rose’s left is Andrea, Carrie’s mom. To the right is Janice, Flynn’s mom. Bright smiles are on all the women’s faces, their arms around each other. 

It still makes her giggle; the fact that their moms were so close. After Andrea died when the girls were in 7th grade, Carrie had gotten cold, getting closer to the girls who would later make up Dirty Candy, while Flynn and Julie’s Triple Threat downsized to Double Trouble. As Julie looks over the picture, her heart aches a bit. As much as she doesn’t want to admit it, she misses Carrie. And Flynn would probably die before admitting it, but she misses the blonde too. She sighs and brings the cd down, setting it on the table. Maybe at one point she could give it to Flynn or even Carrie, if she could stop sending insults her way. 

Julie stubbornly wipes a stray tear from her cheek, turning around to once again slowly clear out the loft. 

“Uh, hi.” She lets out a scream at the sight of three boys between her and the piano. The boys scream as well, clinging to each other as they did. 

“Oh god, please stop screaming!” The blonde boy said, waving his hands. Julie pointed accusingly, at each of them. 

“What are you doing in my mom’s studio?! How did you get in here?” Her hand flies to her back pocket, scrambling for her phone. 

“Wait, wait, wait! We’re like Will. He visited you right, told you about sensates?” The blonde boy says, gesturing to the three of them. 

“Wait, aren’t you Carrie’s cousin? Alex?” 

“Yeah...how’s it going?.” She turns her attention to the two brunet boys. 

“And you are…?” 

“Oh, I’m Luke. Hi.” 

“Reggie, I’m Reggie.” 

“Okay, um...I’m-"

“ Julie!” The door opens, and her dad rushes in. “Are you okay, I heard screaming.” 

“I told you…” Reggie mutters, and Alex shoots him a glare. 

“Dad, I’m okay. I just..um-” she glances in front of her, the boys shrugging. “-saw a spider…” 

“Are you sure, mija?” Her dad furrows his eyebrows, and Julie just nods. “Thought I heard you talking to someone.” 

“Yeah, the spider. After I squashed it…” Alex drops his face to his hand and it takes every cell in Julie’s body to not glare at him. She’s still dealing with the fact that she can see them and her dad can’t. If she starts glaring at nothing, she’s back to Dr. Turner’s every Thursday, maybe even more. 

Ray still looks skeptical, but thankfully he lets her floundering go. “Well, after the ‘dust bunny’ in your room, I’m glad you can squash spiders now.” Julie chuckles, and her dad looks behind her. 

“Well, dinner will be ready in about a half hour. If you wanna come back inside and wait,” 

“No, I’m okay. I think I can be out here for a while.” He smiles and nods, retreating through the door. 

“Your dad seems nice,” Reggie says brightly after a moment. 

“Thanks.” Julie says, because she doesn’t know what else to say. “So...you guys have been hanging out?” 

“Well, yeah,” Luke says, rubbing the back of his neck. “I kinda visited you this morning, and then heard from Alex that you kinda freaked out, so we figured we should get to know each other and give you some time to calm down.” 

“That was you?” 

“Yeah..I’m sorry, by the way.” 

“No, no. Don’t apologize. I wouldn’t have played anyway,” Julie says. “But you said exactly what I wanted to. Thank you.” 

“But…” Julie holds up a hand to stop Luke. 

“So, what are you gonna do?” Alex asks, and Julie gives him a confused look. “About the music program. There’s no way you’re just going to stay out until next semester.” 

“You’re right. I’m not staying out until next semester. I’m going to stay out permanently.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in two days? Who is this person? A procrastinator, that's who. I told myself I was gonna try to stick to a schedule, especially as exams come up in like two weeks, but we'll see. Y'all might get a chapter a day. I might disappear off the face of the earth. Only time will tell. Hope you enjoyed! Have a good day/noon/night! I love you!


	12. Chapter 11

_November 19, 2020_

_Los Angeles, California_

_4:46 PM_

“No, you’re not.” All three boys say at the same time. 

“Okay, you’re not allowed to do that.” 

“What?” 

“Talk at the same time like that. It’s freaky.” 

“It’s the truth though, Julie,” Luke says. “There’s no way we’re gonna let you just stay out of the program.” 

“Well, it’s a good thing that you don’t have a say in it.” Julie crosses her arms. 

“Julie,” Luke starts again. “I was in that music room. I had the same feeling at that moment behind that piano as I do with my guitar in my hands. You love music, the same way we do.” He gestures to Alex and Reggie, and Julie can feel herself soften. She does miss music, but it’s too late.

“Look, I appreciate you guys coming to talk to me about this, but I haven’t even listened to music in a year, let alone play. And there’s no way Mrs. Harrison will let me back in, even if I can miraculously play by tomorrow.” 

"But, for a year you didn’t have us.” Luke smiles. She rolls her eyes and turns her attention to the other two. 

“Okay, but have you considered that I don’t want to? Maybe I need to figure out to do something other than music.” 

“And have you considered that we’re in your head, which makes it really hard to lie to us?” Reggie points out.

“And the fact that you’re a terrible liar in general,” Alex mutters, and Luke smacks his shoulder. Julie purses her lips in annoyance, which causes the three boys to smile. Something distant in Julie’s mind notes that as annoying as they may be, they’re kind of cute.

“I have to go back, my dad’s going to send Carlos out here, and if he sees me out here talking to myself, he’s going to be insufferable for weeks.” She attempts to change the subject. 

“Wait, did you say you haven’t even _listened_ to music in a year?” Luke says, dragging it back. 

“I’ve seen you with headphones in before,” Alex says, realizing. 

“I got really into podcasts, okay?” Julie defends herself. Just because they are in her head, doesn’t mean they get to know everything about her. Luckily her thoughts are still her own, as no one responds to that thought. She lets out a small huff and turns to the door, pulling it open. 

“Hey,” Luke stops her, seemingly appearing in front of Julie as she steps through the threshold. 

“Ah! Jesus, does that just happen?” 

“Yeah, it’s kinda cool right?” Reggie says, from over Luke’s shoulder, but he and Alex have matching smiles on their faces. 

“We think it’s a cluster thing. Oh, we should reach out to Will. It’s been a few days, maybe he can explain more.” Alex says, turning to Reggie. 

“We could do it tomorrow, before school?” Luke says, turning to face them. Julie knows he’s got a goofy smile on his face. 

“Yeah, ask him if there’s an off switch to this.” Julie gestures to the three of them. 

“I already did, he said no.” Alex mumbles, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jacket. 

“Aw, come on, you guys.” Reggie throws his arm around Alex’s shoulder. “This is probably the coolest thing that’s happened to us, to me at least. We should embrace it.” 

“I am embracing it, Reg,” Alex says, “I didn’t freak out when Luke popped up at my school earlier.” 

“Well-” 

“Shut up.” 

“Okay, well, I’m gonna go to dinner...you guys have fun,” Julie says, but she’s got a smile on her face.

* * *

_November 19, 2020_

_Los Angeles, California_

_4:468PM_

Luke watches Julie head up the path to the house, before turning back to the rest of his cluster. It’s weird to think of them like that, knowing that they’re all connected. He blinks, and suddenly all three are standing at a gate, which must separate the garage from the main house. 

“Gah!” Julie exclaims when she realizes that they’re there. 

“Sorry!” Reggie says, and Luke and Alex at least look apologetic. “We really can’t control it.” 

“Well, why don’t you guys go visit Will while I go eat?” She’s trying to look annoyed, but there’s no bite to her voice. 

“Wait, that’s a good idea,” Alex says. 

“Yeah, why didn’t we think of that?” Luke asks, tapping Alex on the chest. 

“Julie, when do you think you’ll be free to talk?” Alex asks, rubbing at where Luke hit him. “We can come back and let you know what he says.” 

“I don’t know,” there’s something on Julie’s mind, and Luke realizes something. 

“You haven’t told your parents about the music program, have you?” 

“I’m going to tell him! I just have to figure out how. Look, I’ll just try and visit you guys after. If I don’t come by tonight, then meet me in the morning, okay? But I have to go.” Julie pushes past them, and continues on into the house. They let her go inside, just as her little brother comes outside. 

Luke switches his focus from Julie to Will, and suddenly he’s in a hotel room. It’s a nice room, a single bed facing a desk with a tv playing some tv over it.

“Oh, guys, hey.” Will’s laying on the bed, the woman from the airport leaning across his lap. She sits up, looking up to face him. 

“Is it your kids?” She asks quietly. Will nods.

“It’s okay, Riles.” 

“Sorry to interrupt,” Luke says. 

“No, you’re not. I was gonna wait until the weekend to visit you guys, but I guess you’ve figured it out. Way quicker than we did.” Riley chuckles from her place, now leaning on his shoulder. “Where’s Julie? Have you guys met her?”

“Yeah, Alex actually knows her outside of our heads,” Reggie says. 

“She’s cool. She’s just eating dinner with her family,” Alex says. Will nods in acknowledgement. 

“So, I assume you guys are here for a reason?” 

“Oh yeah, we had some questions. About you know..us?” Reggie gestures to his head, then the other two.

“Sure. I’ll try to answer what I can, and maybe…” he trails off, looking at something behind them. Even Riley looks interested, sitting up from the desk. 

“Nomi?” 

“Sorry, what’s a 'nomi'?” Alex asks, turning around. Luke follows suit, turning to only see the T.V. 

“Nomi’s a woman, part of our cluster. Apparently, there’s something she wants us to know. Can you give us a second?” Will says, before his and the woman’s, Riley’s, face goes blank. 

“Is that what we look like when we visit each other?” Luke wonders aloud. Reggie sort of ducks and weaves. 

“It’s like they’re following me with their eyes.” 

“Okay, really?” Alex asks. 

“Yeah, really. Look.” Reggie says, still ducking. Luke shoots him a smile. He might only have met the other boys earlier today, but he feels like he’s known them all his life. Even Julie, as dismissive as she might have been, had quickly carved a place in his heart. All of them have, to be honest, but there’s still a lot to learn about them. Reggie has seemed to dive into this whole ‘secret subset of human’ thing, and Alex is way more apprehensive. It’s a fair reaction, and Luke still thinks he’s being cautious, but Reggie is right. This is the coolest thing that’s happened to him. 

“Riley can’t even see you, how would she follow you with her eyes?” 

“Ask her, not me.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I'm giving y'all another chapter. This is one of my fav chapters so far and also the next one because of reasons that will become clear either tonight or next week, we'll see. Have a good day/noon/night! I love you!


	13. Chapter 12

_ November 19, 2020 _

_ Los Angeles/San Francisco, California _

_ 4:49 PM _

Riley takes Will’s hand as they visit Nomi, who apologizes for pulling them away. 

“I know we were going to meet up tomorrow, but Neets found something I thought you guys should look at now.” Nomi’s wife, Amanita, is sitting cross-legged on the kitchen counter when they enter the room. 

“Hey guys,” she waves in the direction she thinks they’re in, which isn’t too far off. She’s getting better at guesstimating where they are. Amanita turns the computer on her lap around so they can see it. On the screen is a picture of a man in a purple suit, shaking hands with another man and smiling at the camera. 

**‘Caleb Covington Starts Center for Human Genome Cognitive Understanding’** is the headline. 

“Okay, and that means?” Riley asks. 

“The name sounded familiar, so I did a little more digging,” Amanita says, tapping on the mousepad a few times. “He used to be on BPO’s payroll.” Will tenses next to her before walking behind Amanita to look at the screen. 

“In fact, he stopped appearing on them in 2018. Right after a certain trigger-happy cop shot a rocket launcher at his boss.” 

“Technically, it was Wolfgang.” 

“Well, legally it was you,” Nomi mutters, and Riley cannot stop herself from giggling. Will shoots her an unimpressed look. 

“So, what’s so special about this Covington guy?” She asks, in an attempt to refocus their attention. “Besides the fact that he used to work for BPO?” 

“I did a little more digging into this Caleb Covington, and his name popped up on some reports addressed to a certain Milton Brandt,” Nomi says.

Riley feels her heart jump into her throat. Milton Brandt, the man who’d hunted them for years. Who’d started a program that lobotomizes sensates and turns them into suicide assassins to take out political enemies of anyone who paid enough money. Who’s influence Riley had hoped to escape after Will/Wolfgang blew him and the bitch who shot Kala up with a rocket launcher.

“Why bring this just to us? Why not everyone?” 

“Because this HGCU is based on L.A.” Will says, still reading over Amanita’s shoulder.

“We know your kids are there, so if this Covington guy is bad news for us…” Nomi says, climbing onto the counter next to her wife.

“He’ll be just as bad for them.” 

_ November 19, 2020 _

_ Los Angeles, California _

_ 5:02 PM _

“Should we be worried about them?” Reggie asks, waving his hand in front of Will’s face. “They’ve been gone for like twenty minutes.” He glances at Luke and Alex, who’ve decided to thumb wrestle while sitting on the edge of the bed. 

“To be fair, we’ve been visiting a while too.” Alex says, eyes focused on Luke’s and their intertwined hands. 

“Yeah, i’m pretty sure my parents are gonna get worried soon. If that’s what we look like when we visit, they’ve never heard me be this quiet for this long.” 

“Do you have to go back? Either of you?” Reggie asks, making his way towards his friends. 

“Nah, my uncle is outta town and my cousin is probably still rehearsing with her group.” 

“I told my parents I had a ton of homework. They shouldn’t bother me for a while.” Luke shoots Reggie a smile, and Alex takes the opportunity to press his thumb on top of Luke’s. 

“Hey!” 

“Shouldn’t have gotten distracted, Beanie-Boy.” Reggie fails to smother his laughter while Luke touches his beanie, a look of offense on his face. 

“Okay, Snapback.” Luke retorts and Alex scoffs in response. 

“It’s not as effective when you’re just copying him, Luke,” Reggie says, smirking when Luke sticks his tongue out at him. 

Alex chuckles and turns to Reggie, holding his hand up. Reggie takes it and Luke counts them down.

“Who stops counting at four, Luke?”

“Who goes all the way to 8? That’s so many numbers!”

“Thumb wars aren’t as easy as cake!” Reggie’s tongue peeks out of his mouth as his brows furrow in concentration. All his focus is on his and Alex’s hands as they battle. Luke watches intensely, commentating. 

Reggie manages to pin Alex’s thumb under his own after just a minute, and both he and Luke cheer. 

“Ha! In your face, snapback!” 

“What, hey! You can’t steal my stolen insults!” Luke says. Reggie smirks at him. 

“Well, you see, Lucas. It’s adorable when I do it. And, as you can see-” he points to his noticeably bare head. “You have nothing to rebut with. Therefore, I am superior!” Luke opens his mouth to reply, but Alex nods his head towards the head of the bed. 

“Hey, they’re back.” Will and Riley rub at their eyes as they finally move on the bed. 

“There you guys are. We were worried.” Luke says, shifting so he’s facing them. 

“Is everything okay?” Reggie asks. 

“Guys, you’re still here. I kind of thought you’d have left by now…” Will says, stretching his neck. “Here’s a tip, make sure you’re comfortable when you visit.” He shoots the guys a smile, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“You said it’d only be a minute, so we figured we’d wait,” Alex says, shrugging with his hands in his pockets. Will glances at Riley, who gives him a small nod. 

"There was a small cluster emergency," Will says. "Nomi needed someone who could throw a punch." 

"And she came to you?" 

"Yeah, I was a cop so..." And Reggie distantly thinks ACAB, but this isn't the time for that. 

"Is she okay?" Alex asks. 

"Yeah, just some creep bugging her and her wife. He'll have a nasty bruise in the morning, but Nomi's fine." 

"...her wife?" Will’s body language changes, and Alex seems to recognize the motion. “No, no. But you’re okay with that?” 

“Yeah, of course,” Will says, and Alex nods quietly. Reggie bumps his shoulder quietly, and the feeling that had begun to grow in his stomach starts to dissipate as he sends the other boy a reassuring smile. Luke leans over and wraps his arm around Alex’s shoulder, and the anxiety disappears; not entirely, of course, but enough for right now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *gasp* what's this? external plot that doesn't just rewrite the plot of the show? from ao3 user spacemirror? inchresting. anyway I think I forgot to say it on my last update three hours ago, but happy thanksgiving to all who celebrate it! this is probs my last update for a hot second, because finals are coming up. if I procrastinate rly bad then I'll have some chapters up next week, if I don't, then I'll have something up the week after. Have a good day/noon/night! I love you!


	14. Chapter 13

_ November 19, 2020 _

_ Los Angeles, California _

_ 5:04 PM _

"So, how could you help Nomi? With throwing a punch?" Luke asks, taking the attention from Alex. 

"Right, um, sensates in a cluster, in addition to visiting can do what's called sharing. Basically, I can kinda take control of Nomi and help her out," Will explains. 

"So, that might be why you visited Julie earlier. You two could have been trying to share," Alex realizes. 

"Well then she picked the wrong guy to share with because I don't play the piano," Luke says, rubbing the back of his neck. Will leans forward a bit, looking interested and Luke must realize he didn't know what happened. 

"Oh, uh, this morning, Julie had a performance for her music class, but she hasn't played in a year so she was panicking super hard and then I was there. But I don't know the piano, so I just kinda bailed." 

"But Julie says it's fine, because she wouldn't have played anyway, but she got kicked out of the music program at her school." Reggie says. 

"We wanted to help her get back in, but short of sitting her down and moving her fingers on the piano for her, we don't know how." Alex finishes. 

"Well, start with encouraging her. She's obviously going to be down for a bit, since this music program means a lot to her. Let her know that you're there for her." 

"Yeah...yeah, thanks Will." Luke says. 

"Hey, don't you guys have homework or something? It's getting kinda late…" Will says, glancing at the clock behind Riley, who's leaning on his lap once again. 

"We told Julie we'd reach back out…" Reggie reminds them. 

"This could be a good time to really let her know we're here for her!" Luke says, a bit more energetic. This is what feels right, a smile on Luke's face and tapping at his leg or hand. The Luke just a few minutes ago that felt guilty about what happened with Julie, didn't feel natural to Will. Despite only knowing the boys for a few days, Will feels a connection to them. He knows this must be how Angelica felt about them; a literal parental feeling is what caused her to take her life to protect them. As the boys say their goodbyes and disappear, he realizes he would do the same to keep them safe, all four of them.

_ November 19, 2020 _

_ Los Angeles, California _

_ 5:07 PM _

Julie's in tears when she pulls open the doors to the studio again. Typically she would go to her room, but some part of her hopes that the boys would come back. A different part told her that she's being ridiculous, but she ignores it. She's almost surprised to find herself behind a piano for the third time today. She looks down, truly taking in the worn-down keys and small notches her mom had made to help teach her each note. 

There's a piece of paper under the piano, and Julie lets out a small sigh as she reaches down to pick it up, then a groan when she realizes there's more than one strewn about the floor. Once all four pages are picked up and placed on the piano, Julie realizes it's a song. There are no lines on the page, but Julie can recognize the notes even without them. Her eyes scan over the pages and a small sob breaks out of her throat when she reads over the note at the end. 

"Julie, you can do it! Love, Mom" Her fingers drift down to the keys again, and for the first time in a year, Julie Molina plays. And she sings. She plays like her fingers will fall off tomorrow, and she sings like she’ll fall mute if she doesn’t. She sings so her mother can hear her in heaven, she plays so loud and hard she’s almost afraid her heart will spill out with her mother’s words. 

The bridge hits her hard, and she throws her hands in the air, nearly screaming-

“ _ So wake that spirit spirit _

_ I wanna hear it hear it _

_ No need to fear it you're not alone _

_ You're gonna find your way home _

_ Wake up, wake up if it's all you do _

_ Look out, look inside of you _

_ It's not what you lost _

_ It's what you'll gain _

_ Raising your voice to the rain!"  _

Julie doesn't have to look at the pages by the time she reaches the last chorus, finishing the song before tears fall onto her cheeks. 

_ November 19, 2020 _

_ Los Angeles, California _

_ 5:10 PM _

Alex knew that Julie had to be talented, she was in the music program after all. But he thought it was just for her piano playing. He hadn’t heard her sing before. But her voice was incredible. It sent shivers to his core, the sheer emotion that she put behind it, and he could feel the passion she had. He doesn’t have to look at Luke and Reggie to know they were just as stunned as he was. Julie is a powerhouse and when they’d appeared in the studio, they’d nearly been knocked off their feet. 

It takes Alex a minute to realize that she’s crying, clutching the song to her chest. His heart is quicker than his brain, and he’s wrapping his arms around her. She tenses in his arms, before relaxing. He feels Reggie follow suit on his left, and Luke on his right. They stay like that for a moment, and he finds he doesn’t care as Julie cries into their arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finals are over!! I can write again!!! So here's a short chapter to get back in the groove! Have a good day/noon/night! I love you!

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what I'm doing, but I've been sitting on this idea for a hot second. Also, Happy Birthday Ronie!! Shoutout for letting me use your birthday for this cluster!


End file.
